'Yikes' Email Sinks BIPA Coverage For Donut, Transport Cos.

By Lauraann Wood

An email stating "Yikes ... no" in response to outside counsel's inquiry regarding a commercial bakery's biometric data collection practices proves the business and a logistics company misrepresented material facts while seeking insurance that could have covered an underlying privacy dispute, an Illinois federal judge said Monday.

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9th Circ. Wipes Out $140M Class Verdict Against CenturyLink

By Craig Clough

The Ninth Circuit overturned a $140 million class verdict against CenturyLink on Tuesday, holding that the company's reasonable interpretation of the Fair Credit Reporting Act shielded it from liability for willful violations when it pulled consumers' credit reports during online orders for internet service.

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RI Judge Vacates Feds' Noncitizen Benefit Restrictions

By Tom Lotshaw

New York and other states applauded a Rhode Island federal judge's finding that the Trump administration flouted rulemaking requirements when it reinterpreted a 30-year-old welfare reform bill to try to subject a slew of federally funded benefit programs to immigration status verification requirements.

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United Can't Ground Christian Gate Agent's Vax Bias Suit

By Grace Elletson

An Illinois federal judge refused to fully dismiss a religious bias suit from an ex-United Airlines employee who claimed she was unlawfully denied a COVID-19 vaccine mandate exemption and then fired, citing her argument that a short deadline for documenting her exemption bid was intended to thwart it.

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Illinois Powerhouse: DiCello Levitt

By Matt Perez

Plaintiffs-side litigation firm DiCello Levitt obtained multimillion-dollar recoveries for Sudanese refugees escaping a genocide, for Illinois residents affected by an industrial fire at Chemtool Inc., and in automotive defect cases involving General Motors and Honda, earning the firm a spot among Law360's Regional Powerhouses.

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Law Firm Says Illinois Tollway Owes Limo-Crash Defense Fees

By Celeste Bott

The Illinois State Toll Highway Authority is being sued in Illinois state court by a Chicago law firm claiming the agency has failed to pay attorney fees for its defense in litigation over a catastrophic 2016 limousine crash.

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Insurer Owes No Coverage In Wrongful Conviction Deal

By Danielle Ferguson

The estate of a man wrongly convicted of an arson that killed his mother-in-law cannot receive $1.8 million for a settlement with a polygraph agency accused of coercing him into a false confession, an Illinois federal judge ruled Tuesday.

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'Chicago Fire' Production Co. Doesn't Pay Properly, Suit Says

By Lauraann Wood

The production company behind "Chicago Fire" has been hit with a proposed collective wage lawsuit in Illinois federal court claiming the company keeps intentionally inaccurate records and illegally fails to pay for all the work its employees perform on set.

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Cooley Adds GOP Hill Veteran To Congressional Probes Group

By Alison Knezevich

Cooley LLP announced Wednesday it has brought on a veteran Capitol Hill attorney as it continues to grow its congressional investigations practice launched in 2024.

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Tarter Krinsky Data Breach May Have Affected Health Info

By Andrea Keckley

Tarter Krinsky & Drogin LLP said in a letter this month that a data breach last year may have compromised protected health information the firm possessed due to its representation of an unnamed healthcare provider.

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Offit Kurman Names President To Succeed Longtime Chair

By Emily Johnson

Offit Kurman Attorneys At Law has selected its president to succeed the only chairman in the firm's nearly four-decade history, turning to a 22-year firm veteran who helped start its litigation department, the firm announced on Wednesday.

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Fed. Panel At Standstill Over ABA Law School Accreditor Role

By Emma Cueto

A key U.S. Department of Education committee deadlocked Wednesday over whether the American Bar Association council responsible for approving law schools should continue as a federally recognized accreditor, tabling the issue until Thursday after different proposals failed to win majority support.

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NY Judge Dismisses States' DOGE Treasury Data Access Suit

By Rae Ann Varona

A New York federal judge Wednesday tossed several states' lawsuit that challenged Department of Government Efficiency staff access to U.S. Department of the Treasury data, saying DOGE's dissolution rendered the states' access claims moot and that they failed to allege that any federal funding due to them was ultimately canceled.

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Senate Confirms Abbott Aide To Texas Federal Bench

By Courtney Bublé

The Senate voted 50-47, along party lines, on Wednesday to confirm Angela Colmenero, deputy chief of staff to Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, to serve on the Southern District of Texas.

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FTC Backs Proposed Education Dept. Accreditation Reforms

By Aneeta Mathur-Ashton

The Federal Trade Commission has endorsed the U.S. Department of Education's proposal to expand higher education accreditation options and promote competition among accreditation agencies.

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Goldstein Not Leaving Prison Anytime Soon, 4th Circ. Rules

By Jeff Overley

The Fourth Circuit balked late Wednesday at freeing Tom Goldstein from prison as he fights felony convictions, and it rejected fast-track review of the renowned appellate advocate's trial, indicating he'll likely spend substantial time behind bars even if his appeal succeeds.

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Analysis

Newman's Roadblocks Guide Judicial Conduct Reform Bill

By Dani Kass

The Judicial Conduct and Disability Act has worked well in allowing the judicial branch to govern itself for nearly 50 years, but the ongoing suspension of Federal Circuit Judge Pauline Newman has exposed gaps that could be addressed with newly introduced legislation, attorneys say.

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Rubin Rudman To Expand In Boston Office Relocation

By Nate Beck

Rubin Rudman said Wednesday that it has signed a 15-year lease in Tishman Speyer's One Federal Street building for a 2028 move to expand its footprint and exit its decadelong office tenancy at 53 State Street in Boston, Massachusetts.

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